Only Mine (Honey Mountain #5)(60)

“I need him to be okay.”

She reached for my hand and helped me unclench it from my father’s. “I promise we will do everything we can to help him.”

I nodded and dropped my hand, taking a few steps back until I hit the cool brick. I watched as they took him behind the double doors, and I reached for my phone, which was tucked inside my purse that was hanging around my neck. I looked down at my other hand, which was still clenching Niko’s keys. Blood covered the silver keys that I’d obviously squeezed so tightly that it had punctured my skin in several places. I wiped the blood on my tights, and the realization that I was still dressed in my Rocky costume seemed unbelievable. It didn’t even feel like it was the same day. My hands shook as I dialed the phone.

“Dylan. What’s happening?” Everly did not hide the fear in her voice.

“Tell everyone to come to the hospital now.” That was all I could get out without losing it. I would not fall apart right now. My sisters would lose it if they thought I was terrified.

And I was terrified.

But I wouldn’t tell them that.

I swallowed hard and ended the call because if I stayed on this phone with her, I wouldn’t be able to keep it together. I walked to the bathroom and locked the door before leaning against it and completely losing it.

I sobbed in a way I hadn’t in many years.

I broke down in a way I hadn’t allowed myself since we’d lost my mom.

In what world was it fair to lose both of your parents?

I punched the wall and kicked the toilet and whaled and cried and sobbed.

And then I pulled myself together to go out and find my sisters.

I’d spent years training myself to control my emotions.

To be strong.

And it was game time now.





twenty-four





Wolf





Dylan had gone completely radio silent. In my world, no news usually meant that someone was hurt or dead or hiding. We’d been texting nonstop yesterday, and then she just stopped responding last night.

I felt like a desperate little pussy because I called her twice, and it went to voice mail. And now it was the next day, and she still wasn’t responding.

Fuck.

This is why I didn’t do this shit.

But my gut told me something was wrong.

Could that fucking asshole Anthony Glouse have gone there? I sent a quick text to my PI, who had eyes on the dude, and he wrote right back and said he was in the city and there’d been nothing out of the ordinary.

I paced for another hour before I swallowed my pride and called Hawk.

“Hey, Wolf,” he said, and his voice sounded more serious than usual.

“I, um, sorry to bother you. I’m trying to reach Dylan and haven’t been able to. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Jack Thomas, Dylan’s father, was injured pretty badly in a fire last night. Everly and I just got home. We spent the night at the hospital. It was touch and go for a while, and we didn’t know if he was going to make it. He took a bad fall and broke his arm and a few ribs, but the man is made of steel. He’s going to be okay. But Dylan is still there. She refused to leave. She was the one who was there on the scene when he was taken in, and you know, that’s just her. I’m guessing her phone is dead. The girls all tried to get her to leave, but she refused. She’s the only one who didn’t break down when things got bad last night. But it’s coming. She’s fighting hard to keep it together. You know how she is.”

Did I? I felt like I did. I did know her. None of this surprised me. She was stoic and strong, but I saw the vulnerable person that was somewhere beneath it all. I’d seen a few glimpses over the last few weeks.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. That makes sense. Is he going to be in the hospital for a while? Expected to make a full recovery?”

“Yeah. They wanted to watch him through the night because he took a good shot to the head, but he’s been alert and aware for the last few hours. They’re going to keep him for a few days.”

“What hospital is he at?”

“Honey Mountain Hospital. There’s just the one,” he said with a chuckle. “What are you up to, Wolf?”

“Not sure. But I’ll keep you posted.” I ended the call and texted our pilot. Honey Mountain was a quick up and down. The least I could do was make sure she was okay. We were friends—temporary lovers. Coworkers, at the very least. This is what normal people did, right? They checked on one another.

It didn’t take more than an hour to get myself in that helicopter and up in the air. I landed in Honey Mountain and had a car waiting there for me just like I’d done for her.

I drove straight to the hospital.

The nurse at the front desk was friendlier than I’d expected. She didn’t ask for ID or who I was, she just clapped her hands together. “Oh, yes. Jack Thomas is such a wonderful man, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” I shrugged because I’d heard great things about the man.

“I’ll take you myself. Follow me.” She led me to the elevator, and I’d never met a person who could talk that long without taking a breath. She’d probably be fabulous underwater because the woman had enough oxygen to keep her going for a long-ass time. She managed to tell me about the patient with the bee sting in the ass that came in this morning, the nurse who left with the flu, and then casually shared how her husband left her for another woman. All of this was on the elevator ride to the third floor. Imagine what this woman could share if we were going to the top floor. I nodded and cleared my throat several times because this kind of personal small talk was probably my least favorite thing to do.